A variety of subcellular glycoproteins have been identified as recognition markers for the isolated hepatic binding protein. The role of these proteins is being studied as a key to the mechanism of pinocytosis, an example of a well-defined intracellular recognition event. The same hepatic binding protein has been shown to be a mitogen for desialylated lymphocytes (T-cells) and the relevance of this phenomenon to the etiology of hepatocellular necrosis is being pursued. Extension of the above studies to human liver has been undertaken in an attempt to characterize the pathological changes taking place in the hepatic binding protein which result in elevated serum levels of asialoglycoproteins in patients with cirrhosis, hepatitis and hepatoma. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: Novogrodsky, A. and Ashwell, G.: Lymphocyte mitogenesis induced by a mammalian liver protein that specifically binds desialylated glycoproteins. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 74: 676-678, 1977. Ashwell, G. and Morell, A.G.: Membrane glycoproteins and recognition phenomena. Trends Biochem. Sci. 2: 76-78, 1977.